Kwara Smart City Project: 23 Communities Reject Acquisition Of Farmlands
No fewer than 23 communities in the Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State have rejected plan by the state government to acquire their lands for the Smart City project.
The communities, under the aegis of Akanbi Wards 1 and 2, had claimed that they received a letter dated March 1st this year notifying them of the state government's intention to revoke/acquire the land for public use.
Addressing journalists on Friday in Fufu, headquarters of the Ilorin South Local Government Council, the Chairman of Akanbi Ward 1 and 2, Azeez Omolola, said: “The people of the 23 villages at home and abroad are expressing and registering our bitter feeling, sadness and deep sorrow over plan by the state government to acquire/revoke our land being used for farming for the establishment of Ilorin Smart City project when hunger is ravaging the people.”
Mr Omolola lamented that the planned revocation/acquisition of their land would mean sacking the people from their farmlands, thereby throwing them into acute and perpetual hunger.
He appealed to the state government for the immediate suspension of all plans to forcefully revoke/acquire their land for private use under the guise of public interest, urging the constitution of a panel of inquiry to look into the circumstances which had led to that decision that completely left them out on a matter that borders on their lives and livelihoods.
Besides, the spokesperson for the Ward stressed the need for the panel of inquiry to also examine all alternative ways to avoid destruction and grabbing of their communities' ancestral land, forests and farmlands.
He further counselled the state government to “halt and reverse the implementation of the policy and follow that by inviting all stakeholders in the communities for a meeting; constituting a special committee to look into the matter raised by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the notification letter as regards the issue of public interest.
“Recognise and allow our rights as indigenous people as enacted in national and international laws to be respected and preserved.”
Omolola urged the state government to “carry out a thorough and transparent review of the adverse ecological, socio-cultural, economic, financial and reputational impacts of the proposed Smart City before it precipitates a man-made disaster for our communities and the state at large.”
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
JSSCE Ibikunle Ogunleye Abubakar Olusola Saraki Fatimoh Lawal Elelu Hassan Oyeleke Shola Odetundun Alabe Yahya Mohammed Owode Market Owo Isowo Ayo Adeyemi Tafida Bamidele Adegoke Taofeek Sanusi T And K FOODS Rachael Obisesan Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants SSA Youth Muslim Media Watch Group Of Nigeria Kwara Consultative Forum Moshood Bakare Abdulrahman Iliasu Kaiama Raimi Iyanda Ayodele Olaosebikan Ajase-Ipo Jimba Babatunde Simon Sayomi Saheed Popoola Alao Ayotunde Lanre Jimoh Ilorin South Constituency Michael Nzekwe Nigeria Computer Society Abdulrahman Abdullahi Kayode Plat Technologies Zara Umar Salake Salman Jawondo IsDB Abdulrazaq Aiyelabegan Centre For Community Empowerment And Poverty Eradication Admiralty Villa Sambo Murtala Lanre Issa Onilu KWAFFA Hamidu Olowo Abdulazeez Arowona Azeez Salawu Hassan Taiye Salam Quran Kunbi Titiloye Okedare Share/Tsaragi Savannah Centre For Diplomacy, Democracy And Development Wale Oladepo Nigerian Correctional Service Kassim Babamale Madawaki Of Ilorin Aliyu Muhammed Rotimi Oyedepo Samuel Adedoyin Borgu Dauda Adeniran Adeshola SDP Nigeria Governors\' Forum Al-Hikmah University Abdulwahab Oba Wahab Olasupo Egbewole Eruku Olatunji Abdulmumeen Kubra Kazum Shoprite Musbau A. Akanji Babs Iwarere Revenue Court

